Kensington Metropark's white doe gives birth to fawns

A white doe, possibly an albino, has been photographed on numerous occasions at Kensington Metropark in Milford and Brighton townships. It has given birth to fawns. It is not known if the fawns are albino or not.(Photo: Submitted)

A white doe in Kensington Metropark has given birth to a pair of fawns.

The reported birth took place recently, said Danielle Mauter, chief of marketing and communications at the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, which Kensington Metropark is part of.

"At this time, we cannot confirm if the fawns are albino or not," Mauter said Tuesday.

Ashley Autenrieth, a biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said last month that there are three types of albinism in animals – albino, all-white and piebald.

Albino is lack of pigmentation, she said, while all-white means the fur is all white. Piebald occurs when there are spots of brown on the animal.

There is a one in 10,000 chance of a parent deer in a general deer population passing on the albino gene to its offspring, Mauter said.

Park officials do not check on individual deer since the park is a natural habitat.

"We ask the public not to go out and disturb them," Mauter said. She said taking pictures of the animals in the park is encouraged.

"This is the time of year when deer drop their fawns," said Victoria Taylor-Sluder, western district interpretive services supervisor for the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.

Other possibly albino deer have been spotted throughout the years, such as one with blue eyes and another with pink eyes, Taylor-Sluder said.

The recently-spotted albino doe has mainly been seen on the park's west side, she said.

Hunting is not allowed at any time in any of the metroparks in the state thoughalbino and exotic, all-white deer have been legal to hunt in Michigan since 2008.